


The Cuirass

by HixyStix



Series: 2020 Kalluzeb Appreciation Week [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Background Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla - Freeform, Established Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-02-23 01:46:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23803819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HixyStix/pseuds/HixyStix
Summary: Kallus escaped the Empire with just the clothes on his back.  He doesn't regret his choice, but when his cuirass goes missing, he won't stop until it's returned.But sometimes, things need to be lost in order to be found.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Series: 2020 Kalluzeb Appreciation Week [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1714975
Comments: 16
Kudos: 131
Collections: Kalluzeb appreciation week 2020.





	The Cuirass

**Author's Note:**

> Fills the prompt "Other People's Reactions" for the 2020 Kalluzeb Appreciation Week.
> 
> A big thank you to [whiplashcrash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiplashcrash/pseuds/whiplashcrash) for a wonderful beta job!

Just like with the Empire, the members of the Rebellion didn’t hold the idea of small personal belongings in high regard. In the Empire, it meant you were to keep your quarters stark, with no personalization.

In the Rebellion, it seemed to mean that people would borrow your things without asking. You’d get them back eventually, of course, but it might take a week as your favorite coat got passed around the A-wing squadrons before making its way back to you. On the one hand, this had benefited Alexsandr Kallus since his defection; when he needed new clothes, he’d been able to scrounge some up with little difficulty.

On the other hand, there were some things Kallus wanted to keep to himself. He didn’t have many belongings, having left the two things that meant the most to him back in his quarters on the Imperial light cruiser, but he did have his ISB uniform and armor still. In his mind, he still felt the warmth of a meteorite and the solid comfort of a bo-rifle in his hands, but there just _hadn’t been time_.

Kallus told himself it was a practical move for the Rebellion, keeping his armor and clothes. It wasn’t like he wanted to return to that life; he’d given himself over completely to the Rebellion a year before and he had yet to regret his choice – not that he ever would. However, he might be asked to take an undercover mission someday, if the Imperial hunt for his head ever let up and Rebel Command gave him an off-base mission. An ISB uniform could be invaluable. It could be his ticket to making up even a tiny bit of what he owed to the Rebellion for taking him in at all, considering his past.

All of that was logical and good and gave him hope of discharging his debts, so the day he checked his footlocker and saw his cuirass was missing found Kallus understandably upset.

Storming across the Yavin 4 landing strip, Kallus spotted Zeb with his jumpsuit rolled down to his waist and his arms elbows-deep in the _Ghost_ ’s innards. It was an incredibly attractive scene, but that’s not why Kallus was there. Steeling himself, he asked, “Did you see anyone in our quarters?”

“Huh?” Zeb asked, ears perking up. “No, it’s been locked, hasn’t it?”

“I _thought_ it had, but there’s something missing from my locker.”

Zeb placed a wrench in his mouth to free up a hand, speaking around the thing. “Uh, I didn’ get in there, I promise. I wouldn’ do tha’ to you.”

Kallus sighed. “I know you wouldn’t. I just… _need_ that cuirass and I’m not sure who else to ask.”

Zeb looked at him warily out of the corners of his eyes and grunted in response. Kallus wasn’t quite sure how to interpret the sound; was Zeb mad that he held on to his ISB uniform? Did he understand why it was so important to Kallus?

Hera sauntered down the _Ghost_ ’s ramp, followed by Kanan. It was subtle, but Kallus caught the widening of their eyes when they saw him.

For the most part, the _Ghost_ crew had begrudgingly accepted him, after Zeb loudly and insistently vouched for him. Besides Zeb and Chopper, Ezra was probably the friendliest, but Kallus had the impression the teenager was friendly to nearly everyone. In the past, Kallus had witnessed him being cheerful to stormtroopers while robbing them blind.

So, perhaps, Ezra’s reaction didn’t mean anything.

Sabine was a prickly teenager that Kallus didn’t have any clue how to interact with. He hadn’t seen her much since she left for Mandalore right after he escaped the Empire. Now that she was back, Sabine kept to herself and glared at Kallus every time he walked by.

Kallus had thought Kanan might trust him after he’d helped them escape the TIE-Defender factory, but it seemed Kanan could hold a grudge, which Kallus had to admit was understandable, if discouraging.

Oh, to his face, both Hera and Kanan were kind, but Kallus got the impression it was only for Zeb’s sake. If Zeb hadn’t been so insistent about taking him in – and capturing Kallus’s heart while he was at it – he believed Hera might have dumped him there at Massassi Base and never thought about him again.

“Does the Senator need us again?” asked Hera, crossing her arms.

Kallus hid his grimace. Couldn’t he simply be out here visiting Zeb? “No. I’m not on duty at the moment.” 

“Good.” Hera slipped her hand around Kanan’s bicep and led the Jedi away.

“Don’ mind ‘em,” said Zeb, still slurring around the wrench. “They’re makin’ up for los’ time now that Kanan an’ th’ kids are back from Mandalore. Don’ like being interrupted by any of us.”

“It’s more like they don’t approve of us keeping company,” Kallus muttered.

Zeb froze momentarily. He stopped what he was doing with the _Ghost_ and took the wrench out of his mouth. “You listen here, Kal–”

Kallus held up his hands in surrender. “I know. It’s none of their business what we do.” He got that, but it didn’t mean Kallus didn’t wish the others truly accepted him.

He couldn’t blame them, however. He _had_ spent two years running them down and trying to capture or kill their cell and their friends, on top of the many years he spent in service to the Empire in general.

But if _Zeb_ could come to lo– _like_ him, then surely the others could, too?

There was the tell-tale sound of Zeb sighing. “You gotta stop worrying, Kal. They like you more than you think.”

“No,” Kallus argued. “They don’t and they have every right not to.”

An unhappy look on his face, Zeb set down his tools and walked over to Kallus, who held his ground. Zeb might be taller than the already-tall Kallus, but he didn’t intimidate him. And if he ever did, Kallus wasn’t going to let him know that.

Zeb held his hands just over Kallus’s shoulders, hovering but not quite moving those last few centimeters. After a moment, Zeb’s expression softened and he dropped one hand, using the other to brush a loose strand of hair out of Kallus’s face with a claw. “Kal,” he said sternly. “ _Listen_ to me. I know my crew. They’ve accepted you. _You_ just have to recognize it.”

Kallus didn’t say anything. Emotions raged within him: the utter adoration and love he felt for Zeb, gratefulness for his friendship, the loneliness that had dogged him since his Academy days, an instinctive desire to argue and deny Zeb’s words.

It was all too much and Kallus closed his eyes while he swallowed his emotions, tamping them down where no one would see.

He was good at that. _Too_ good at that.

“I’ll believe that when they act like they actually want me around,” he said. “The only ones who seem to put up with me are you, Chopper, and on some days, Ezra.”

Zeb blinked. “Hera an’ Kanan are caught up in themselves. They do that. Sabine keeps to herself around _everyone_ but she likes us anyway _._ Rex is just Rex.”

“Fine.” Kallus hadn’t come out here to argue but he couldn’t help his bitter tone. It looked like he was going to start a fight whether he meant to or not. “They like me. I’m just too blind to see it.”

That got a quick frown from Zeb. “Kal–”

“No,” he said. “I only came out to see if you knew what happened to my cuirass. If you don’t, I’m going to continue looking.”

“Kal.”

Kallus forced his expression to change so Zeb would know he wasn’t really angry, just frustrated. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He walked away without waiting for an answer.

Two hours later, after a check of the Rebel Intelligence bloc of Massassi Temple rooms and a futile and wandering conversation with AP-5, Kallus trudged back to his room.

There’d been no sign of his cuirass. It was gone.

Which meant his chance of using it to help the Rebellion was gone. Just another way he’d failed the universe at large.

He slumped onto the bed – not much more than a large cot, really – and ignored the squeak it made as he fell on his side. He grabbed the pillow closest to him, giving it a good, deep sniff, finding Zeb’s scent comforting.

His comm clicked, the sign someone was about to start talking.

Kallus sat up, sure it was going to be Draven or another Intelligence officer calling him back into work.

“ _Uh, Kal..?”_

He knew that voice. Kallus quickly snatched his comm from his belt. “Zeb,” he said, trying not to sound _too_ relieved.

“ _Hey, uh. Kanan and the kids are cooking dinner on the_ Ghost _tonight and_ – _”_

Kallus resolutely ignored the sensation of his heart falling into the basement below his feet. “So I’ll see you after?”

“ _Karabast, Kal, stop that. I’m callin’ to invite you.”_

His heart stuttered, but Kallus quashed that as soon as he could. “You told them to invite me, didn’t you?”

_ “The invitation comes from Sabine, if you gotta know. But  _ I _want you there.”_

Kallus licked his lips, rushing through his thoughts. He couldn’t think of a reason Sabine would want him to be a part of their dinner. _Zeb_ wanted him _,_ though, so Kallus hadn’t made him too angry earlier. Some part of him wanted to refuse the invitation despite all that, but he recognized that he’d _never_ be accepted if he avoided the _Ghost_ crew. “Okay,” he replied. “I’ll be there. For you.”

“ _’Kay. Show up at 1745. I’ll see you then.”_

Kallus slowly lowered his comlink. A glance at his wrist chrono told him that was only an hour away. He could take a nap in that time, something Zeb would probably like him to do, but he could also get work done and _that_ would help the Rebellion. The choice was easy enough.

At 1745 on the dot, Kallus walked up to the _Ghost,_ where he found Sabine and Ezra lounging on the ramp, presumably soaking in the late afternoon sun and cool jungle air. Behind them, in the hold, sat stacks of crates in the shape of a long table and benches set with bowls of what looked like bread. How many people were coming to this dinner?

“Hey!” said Ezra, waving one hand.

“You’re here,” said Sabine, sitting up.

Kallus frowned. “I was told I was invited.”

“Oh, you are,” confirmed Sabine. “Just wasn’t sure if you were going to show or not.”

He managed not to deepen his frown. “I’m here,” he said simply.

“Zeb’s in the refresher,” Ezra said, a mischievous grin on his face. “He’ll be out in a minute. You could go wait for him in our room. _Surprise him._ ”

“Or I could wait for him out here.”

Ezra shrugged. “Your choice.”

Kallus looked around and found a nearby crate to sit on. He listened as Ezra excitedly told Sabine about the more remote Massassi Temple he and Kanan had found that morning and the obstacle course they’d made up for Jedi training. Sabine, in turn, mentioned a new art project but wouldn’t go into detail.

Before Ezra could badger her too much, they were joined by some of the younger pilots: Wedge, Hobbie, and Mart. Kallus had never gotten to know them well, beyond helping Wedge and Hobbie escape Skystrike, so he didn’t rise to greet them like Sabine and Ezra did. He nodded in acknowledgment when Hobbie waved at him, but that was it.

The five youths all made their way into the ship, chattering as they went and leaving Kallus in blissful silence.

The peace didn’t last long. Zeb came down the ramp, footsteps heavy and loud in their quiet corner of the shipyard. “Kal,” he said, as if relieved to see him. “C’mon in, mate. We got something for ya.”

Kallus nodded and stood, his plans to walk next to Zeb messed up when the lasat wrapped him in a strong hug. 

Kallus was still not used to hugs. He didn’t think he’d had one since before he entered the Academy and they were massive invasions of his private space.

That being said, he was learning not to mind when Zeb hugged him. Kallus buried his head in Zeb’s short fur and closed his eyes, leaning into the embrace for a moment.

“A reunion. How nice,” drawled a voice in a very poor imitation of a Coruscanti accent. Kallus looked up and saw Ezra standing on the ramp, arms crossed. “But it’s time to get to eating.”

Kallus gave Ezra a piercing look, recognizing his own words – and accent – being thrown back at him.

Ezra saluted in response. “Sabine’s got something for you first, so hurry.”

There was no telling what _that_ could be. Zeb took Kallus’s hand, leading him into the ship.

Sabine slid down the ladder from the upper deck, a bag slung over her shoulder. Kanan, Hera, and the pilots followed her in short order.

Kallus looked at Zeb for some hint of what was going on. Zeb smiled, ears perked up. He obviously knew exactly what Sabine had in mind.

Sabine tossed her hair out of her face and approached Kallus. “So, uh, I borrowed your armor for the day,” she admitted, patting the bag.

“How did you get into my quarters?” he couldn’t help asking.

She shrugged. “Chopper has Zeb’s codes.”

“Wah-wah-wahhhh,” warbled Chopper, rolling up the ramp to stop next to Kallus and Zeb.

Kallus shot the droid a dubious look. “You thought I wouldn’t _mind_?” he said, just a touch of irritation in his voice.

“You won’t,” said Ezra smugly.

Sabine reached in the pack and pulled out Kallus’s cuirass, now brightly painted.

Kallus’s eyes nearly bugged out and he felt his breath sucked from his lungs. _How can I infiltrate the Empire in_ that _thing? I can’t help like I need to now…_ He resisted the urge to snatch it out of her hands, clenching his fists instead.

“Look at it, Kal,” Zeb said, awed.

That was the moment Kallus noticed that everyone else was smiling. He swallowed his anger and forced himself to look and appreciate Sabine’s work.

It was, in fact, quite wonderfully done. His eyes were immediately drawn to the left chestplate, where the Fulcrum symbol stood out, right over where his heart would be. He tried to think of something to say but anything he said would come out a jumble right now; the sheer fact that Sabine had chosen _that_ spot to immortalize his undercover work and the lengths he’d tried to go to for the Rebellion…

He’d almost thought everyone had forgotten about Fulcrum. He’d passed the name on now, he wasn’t officially Fulcrum anymore. He wasn’t an ISB agent anymore. He was just Alexsandr Kallus of Rebel Intelligence now.

Not to the crew of the _Ghost_ , apparently.

Still at a loss for words, he nodded at Sabine.

She seemed to get it. Slowly, she turned the armor around, showing him the back. At the sight of it, both he and Zeb gasped.

The entire backplate was painted purple, with darker stripes to match Zeb’s.

“We all know you’re always gonna be Fulcrum,” Sabine explained, “and that Zeb’s had your back through all of this. Figured you’d always want him there.”

“You’re officially one of us now!” Ezra said with a smile. “You’ve got Sabine artwork to wear!”

Again, Kallus found himself without words. How could he respond to such a sentiment?

Zeb wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling Kallus close. “Toldja,” he whispered. “They like you.”

Kallus looked up at Zeb, disbelieving. The lasat just motioned for him to look at the others.

Hera leaned against Kanan’s side, but both of them were smiling. So were the trio of pilots. Sabine looked proud of her work and Ezra still had that stupid lopsided grin.

Maybe… maybe Zeb was right. Maybe they approved of him, beyond tolerating him for Zeb’s sake. Maybe they were actually offering _friendship_.

“Th– thank you,” he stuttered. Sabine handed him the cuirass and he took it carefully, afraid he’d smudge the paint if he touched it. He was struck with a sudden desire to put it on.

So he did. Kallus pulled off the heavy Rebel leadership jacket he’d been given, holding it out for Zeb to take. With practiced ease, he slipped the cuirass over his head. He twisted, contorting to reach the clasps with both hands, but Zeb stopped him, taking over the job himself.

Once the cuirass was secured, Kallus held out his arms and looked at Sabine. She smiled and nodded. Behind her, Kanan said, “Now you’re a proper Rebel.” There was a smile on his face as well.

In fact, everyone was still smiling, if not outright beaming.

Zeb clapped a hand on Kallus’s shoulder. “You oughta listen to me when I tell you something.”

“Maybe I should,” Kallus mused, letting himself truly smile around everyone for the first time.

“Okay!” said Ezra, rubbing his hands together. “Kallus has his armor back, so can we eat? I’m _starving.”_

Sabine laughed and tousled Ezra’s hair. “You are _such_ a teenage boy.”

“Hey, I _am_ a teenage boy. Whaddya expect?” The five youths all found seats at the table, chattering as they dug into the bread.

“Guys, there’s more food coming. Save some for the rest of us!" After fussing at the youths, Hera pointed at Chopper and Kanan. “Food’s upstairs. You’re helping me carry it down here. _You_ boys take your time,” she said, gesturing at Zeb and Kallus.

In a moment, Kallus was semi-alone with Zeb. He turned, snaking his arms around Zeb one more time. Zeb rubbed the top of his head with his cheeks, scenting him and making Kallus sigh contentedly. If this was what family felt like, Kallus could get used to it.

A piece of bread bounced off Zeb’s head. “Loverboys! Come sit down!”

Zeb growled. “Ezra, I am going to _end you.”_ He lifted Kallus’s chin to face him, smiling now. “They’re right, you know. We should go sit. You ready?”

Kallus smiled. “Zeb, I’m prepared for anything now. You’ll always have my back, remember?”

**Author's Note:**

> Based, with permission, on Sempaiko's lovely artwork found [here!](https://sempaiko.tumblr.com/post/613961442369191936/au-rebel-kallus-alexsandr-hot-kallus-something)
> 
> Come find me on tumblr and flail over Rebels and Kalluzeb! [hixystix](https://hixystix.tumblr.com/) is my main blog, and [x-wing-junkie](https://x-wing-junkie.tumblr.com/) is my _Star Wars_ blog. New friends always welcome!


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